


Rely on Me

by AvalonElizabeth



Category: OMORI (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Childhood Friends, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Forgiveness, Gen, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, I thereby declare it's name to be, M/M, Post-good ending, Sappy, Spoilers, as the first one to write about this ship (as far as I know), explanations in the final notes, sunset, what I think redeemed Sunny would act like, yeah - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 09:35:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29330178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AvalonElizabeth/pseuds/AvalonElizabeth
Summary: Sunny comes back to faraway town, wanting to spend the rest of summer with his friendsStrangely, Hero has been avoiding him since he came backHe needs to talk to him, he knows this, he is just unsure if he will have the courage to do it
Relationships: Aubrey & Basil & Hero & Kel & Sunny (OMORI), Aubrey & Sunny (OMORI), Basil & Sunny (OMORI), Hero & Sunny (OMORI), Hero/Sunny (OMORI), Kel & Sunny (OMORI)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 73





	Rely on Me

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there, this is my first fic ever, yup, since forever I always been a reader, I had a bunch of ideas but never felt the courage to put them on paper, so I guess this is my debut haha
> 
> So I hope you enjoy it!

The day announced it’s departure as the sky started turning into a deep índigo

Summer nights were always the best of both worlds for Sunny, just chilly enough to make the heat more bearable

He was visiting his childhood town, wanting to spend more time with his friends

He has been staying at Kel and Hero’s house, having just come back from his new house

Maybe it was too soon, but he felt that he needed more time to talk to them, the day he confessed everything still ringing in his mind, his departure after that was to sudden, leaving lots of things unsaid

They were going to eat at Gino’s, to celebrate his come back, Kel was the one that suggested it, Aubrey protested, saying that they always goes there and maybe they should do something different for him

To stop their bickering, Sunny admitted that he was missing the taste of his childhood pizza

Kel looked smug at Aubrey, then she promptly threatened to smash his basketball if he didn’t shut up, he decided to keep messing with her by putting out his tongue, making her even more annoyed

Still, there was no animosity between them, Sunny was glad that his friends have been doing well, both of them were the first to talk to him after his confession

_Kel moved first, he had just confessed and now he was a sobbing mess, he went to his friend, still shocked from learning the truth, but he understood it, he knows that Sunny has been suffering too, he was still his best friend, and he was going to be with him no matter what_

_He hugged Sunny, “ it’s ok, bud” his tears were threatening to spill over “you don’t need to be alone anymore, whatever happens, I’m going to be there for you”, his voice was quiet, but still determined_

_Sunny cried even more in his hold, he felt like he didn’t deserve this comfort, that he didn’t deserve his forgiveness, but he decided to ignore these feelings, he told them the truth and promised to forgive himself, what his friends decide from this point forward was their choice alone_

At their way to Gino’s, he looked around his group, Kel and Aubrey were talking a lot, flipping between being annoyed and laughing with each other, Basil was there too, he was trying to keep up with the conversation, but his nervousness made him not speak a lot

They were talking about what they should do while Sunny was still here, already planning a bunch of different activities for the summer, asking here and there for Sunny’s opinion

“Next week we need to go the beach! It’s going to be the hottest day on summer, it’s perfect!” Kel argued, looking proud of his suggestion

“No, did you look at Sunny? He is very pale, he’s going to burn there, we should go ice skating, just cold enough to be comfortable” Aubrey argued back, seemingly concerned for him

“What? That’s exactly why he needs to go the beach, he needs to get some tan y’know? And what’s that about ice skating? You only suggested that because you know I’m bad at it!”

Aubrey was now holding back a laughter, Basil decided this was probably the best moment to chime in

“M-maybe we can go camping? I think it wouldn’t be too hot, and Sunny c-could still get some activity from it...” he quietly said, simultaneously not wanting to interrupt whatever Kel and Aubrey were saying, while still wanting to get his idea out

“Sunny! What do you choose?!” Kel and Aubrey said at the same time, looking at him expectantly, like the question was more like ‘who do you choose to side with’

Sunny contemplates, he still didn’t like to talk much, his confession probably being the most he has ever talked, but he was getting better at it

He breaths in and out slightly

“Camping sounds nice...” is what he decides to say after some time

The bickering duo exclaim their bewilderment at his betrayal, he hears a very quiet celebration from Basil for his opition being the one chosen

He couldn’t help but smile at this, it made him feel nostalgic, Kel and Aubrey annoying each other, Basil trying to mediate but failing, and him being silent, only listening to everything

But something was still amiss, he looked back to see Hero, ever since he came back he hadn’t talk much, even now he was silent, even more than he himself was

He was looking at Sunny, but then quickly averted his gaze from him

He recalled that day again

_Kel separated from him to give him some space, Sunny wiped the tears from his face, breathing steadily now_

_Then he noticed Hero approaching him, he had been silent this whole time apparently paralyzed from what he heard_

_Kel seemed to notice something strange that he didn’t catch at first, quickly going between him and Hero_

_Looking closely, he saw what caught Kel’s attention, Hero’s hands were formed into tight fists_

_“Y-you...” “Hero, stop!” “All this time, it was you...” His voice was filled with anger and frustration, Kel tried to stop whatever his brother was going to do, but it was in vain_

_Hero picked him by the collar, Sunny could see his eyes, they were red from crying, his expression could only be described as enraged_

_He thought if he was going to hit him, that would be fine, he himself felt as if he deserved it, and if it made his friend feel better (if he even could call him that anymore), then so be it_

_“No Hero stop it! He doesn’t deserve this!” He tried to reason with his brother, and if these words reached him or not, it didn’t matter_

_He kept holding him there, glaring at him, they stayed like this for seemed like minutes, he hasn’t said anything, whether it was because he wanted to say something more but didn’t quite find the words or will to say them, or if he was expecting him to say something, he didn’t know_

_Hero dropped him_

_“Whatever” he stormed off from the room, Kel quickly calling his name, he looked back at the situation left behind, Sunny was on the ground looking distant, Basil was still resting in his bed, Aubrey didn’t move, silent tears adorning her face as her hands were at her mouth, she looked like she was barely standing_

_“Sorry...” was all he muttered before leaving the room to look for his brother_

He hasn’t seem him since that day, he wondered what he was thinking right know, he wanted to ask so bad, but the words couldn’t leave his mouth

Before he knew it they were already at Gino’s, Sunny stopped at the door, taking some time to process the change in scenario, before going to sit at the table, Kel and Aubrey went to order the pizza, Basil seeming to sense some tension between Sunny and Hero, decided to go with them

He was left with Hero alone at the table, the older one still hadn’t said a thing

He wanted to reach out to him, knew that if he was feeling distraught it was because of him, but he just couldn’t do it, the air around them was oppressive, unsaid words hanging at the distance between them

‘He needs you, say something!’ his mind yelled at him, his breath hitched, he couldn’t say anything, he couldn’t even move or breath, like even the tiniest sounds would be too much

‘when are you going to stop being such a coward and start being there for your friends?’ he thought he was doing better, that these feelings wouldn’t bother him anymore, but of course they were still here, they never left, and now was the perfect opportunity for them to come full force

Tears were threatening to spill, but thankfully his friend came back, bringing him back to reality

“Hey guys missed us?” Kel said jokingly, apparently not noticing the tension

Aubrey and Basil looked at Hero and him, before looking at each other, silently exchanging words

Before the silence could get unbearable, Aubrey started talking, wanting to alleviate the atmosphere

“So Sunny, how is your new home? Have you adjusted yet or...?”

He looked at Aubrey now, her expression was one of concern, it was hard to noticed, perhaps she was trying to hide it, if it was because she wanted to look tough or just not worry him, she wouldn’t admit

But that wouldn’t stop him from worrying

_After Kel left, Aubrey still looked lost, like she was thrown off her base and she didn’t know where to stand anymore_

_After some silence he heard someone walking, he looked up and saw her, she looked awful, her smeared make up combined with the puffy red eyes from crying made she look so tired_

_“I-I...” was everything she could say, sparing only a glance at him, she left, leaving Basil and him alone_

_A day later she appeared at the hospital again, she was standing at the door of his room, she was quiet, considering what to say to him_

_Sunny was looking at her, in hindsight he was probably making her more nervous because of that_

_“How are feeling?” her expression was neutral, maybe she was just looking for small talk, for now at least_

_“Fine...” He said after some thought_

_“Cool...” the heavy silence started setting in, if they wanted to talk they need to do it now_

_“About yesterday...” the one to break it was surprisingly Sunny, he wanted to talk more and he knew she wanted too_

_She breaths in hard through her nose, she needs to this_

_“Look, I know that something was wrong with you since that day at park” she looked away before continuing “you looked so pale, skinny and short... And was carrying a knife”_

_“At the time I was annoyed and a little bit surprised too, with all the commotion and you suddenly appearing after four years” her breath was shaky, she was trying to hold it together for what she would say next_

_“But after I got home, I couldn’t help but think about you, and I started worrying and asking myself how you must’ve been feeling for these four years” she closes her eyes now_

_“I’ve been so conceited that day, only thinking about how you left me, and not how I left you too” her voice sounded frustrated and disappointed_

_“You used to listen to me all the time about my troubles, so when we lost her, you weren’t there anymore, nobody was! I was so angry, I thought that everyone was just moving on so fast and leaving me behind” She was crying now, ugly tears rolling down her face_

_She opened her eyes and looked at him_

_“I’m sorry! sorry that couldn’t be there for you, you were always there for me when I was troubled, but when you needed it couldn’t be there” she had a look of regret in her face_

_“It’s okay... I also ran away from everyone... I should’ve been there too” he said ,voice shaky, after everything she said it was hard not to feel moved_

_They hugged, “you should talk to Basil too... He would really appreciate it” “...I know, he also deserves an apology...”_

_They stayed that way for a while, the silence now was comfortable_

_“I’m still angry, livid even!” Aubrey exclaimed more lively now, “...But I also think I’m ready to move forward, with everyone too” they separated, he could see her sincere smile, it fitted her_

_“I wouldn’t expect anything different” he surprised himself by saying something jokingly, it felt nice_

_“You bet!” She smirked, looking at her, he knew they would be fine_

Deciding to focus on the conversation, Sunny thought about the question, looking for the right words

“It’s nice... different but comfortable...” is what he said, pausing slightly between words

“That’s n-nice, I hope your not feeling bored, maybe I could give you one of my plants, y-you know, to distract yourself...” Basil says, joining in the conversation

He nodded at that, it’s true that he sometimes had nothing to do, so having something to take care of could help

“Great! I already k-know exactly what you should get” he stammered a little “O-of course you can also choose whatever you like, you can come a-at my house any day to see them!”

Basil looked the most different of them all, he didn’t look so fidgety anymore, the dark rings in his eyes lightened a lot already, overall he looked much livelier, or at least more than last time he saw him

_After everyone left, only he and Basil were left in the room, he stood up, he decided to go see Basil more closely_

_He opened his eyes, he looked rough, the events of that night were a little bit fuzzy, the line between what really happened what was only their imagination blurred_

_His eye was really damaged, and although he himself didn’t look the best, he would never regret what he did, if it meant saving a friend, that would be enough_

_A single tear falled from his eye, he smiled, a expression the he was not accustomed to, but there was no better way to express his feelings to his friend_

_At that moment he felt the shadows of their sorrow disappearing, even if just a little, they could be free now_

He nodded once more, putting a hand on Basil’s shoulder to signal that it’s okay and he can calm down now

“That’s cool! Hope you’re not missing us too much, I know that you don’t like to be alone” Aubrey commented, sounding somewhat relieved

Hero seemed to react to that, shifting in his chair

Sunny quickly picked it up, eyes darting to his direction, he looked the same, nobody seemed to notice it, maybe he was imagining things

“Ohh! Tell us Sunny, what having you been doing there!” Kel brightly said, somehow always managing to lighten the mood

He took his time

“I’ve been drawing and writing” he said, voice airy

“Wow that’s so cool! Can we see it?!” He said again, always so excited

“Sorry I... I didn’t bring any...” he felt bad for disappointing his friends “Aw that’s a bummer, but it’s fine! You can draw us something before you go right?”

He simply nodded at that

He was unsure if he should say the next part, debating whether it would be a good or bad idea

He decided that being more honest with his friends was for the best, he prepared himself

“... I also want to... Play again the... Violin...” ...they went silent, maybe that was a bad idea, he should backtrack and say that he was joking

He heard another shift, he glanced at Hero again, he looked even more uncomfortable

“are you sure dude?” “maybe we’ll need some more explanation to understand that one hehe...” “Y-you are not being pressured right?!”

He didn’t deserve this much concern and worry from his friends, but a part of him, however small, was glad that they cared so much about him

He thought of a explanation

He shakes his head “I want to do it, Because it reminds me of...” he sighs, deciding to say something else “because... it’s one of the lasts things I have of her...”

“I need some air” he hears someone standing up, he sees Hero going out the door

“Hero wait!” Kel calls for his brother, preparing to go after him

Sunny stands up instead

“No, I will go” he says determined

“You know it’s not your fault, right Sunny?! Hero is just being a prick” Kel tried to argue, but he needed to this, for the sake of his friend

“Maybe... But I still need to talk to him”

Before any of them could protest any further, he already left the place

He looked around, it was already night time, he couldn’t see anything, losing sight of him

He managed to ask someone that was at the fountain if they saw him running out from Gino’s and what direction he went

The girl there said that she did see someone and that they went to the right

He already had an idea where he could’ve gone, he thanked her and start running as fast as he could

‘I need to find him now, and don’t know if I will ever have this strength again, so please be there!’ was everything he could think off, he needed to save his friend

At their secret hangout spot, the moon was reflect by the water in the lake, there were no crickets and there weren’t any fireflies, like the forest sensed the sadness that the place was filled with now, and decided to leave the one who brought it there alone

Hero was sitting there, he faced the lake, making it impossible to know his expression

He was silent, when Sunny approached, he didn’t look surprised

He gazed at the lake as well, it’s been a while since he saw it this way

Hero spoke first

“Ever since that day, the day that she died, I felt like part of me was lost forever” his voice was quiet, almost a whisper, it carried a somber tone

“I remember shutting down, locking myself in my mind, I couldn’t stop thinking about her, that maybe if I noticed something before, she would still be with me” Sunny flinched at that, he already knew this, but hearing again how his lie hurted his friends, it made him feel awful

“Eventually I hid myself in my room, I avoided everyone, I didn’t want to talk, didn’t want to eat, didn’t want to go out” he sounded like he was holding back tears “I would cry myself to sleep, only to wake up to this miserable reality where she was not here anymore” He remembered hearing about this from Kel, when they were visiting Mari’s grave

The first time he heard it, he felt nauseous, he breath hitched and his legs were trembling. How much of a monster was he, he made one his friends suffer so much because of him

“It stayed like this for almost a year, Kel helped me snap out of it, I recall yelling at him, I was so frustrated, I didn’t realized that by staying like this I was hurting the people that cared about me the most” He breathed in, trying to relax himself for what he had to say next

“When you told us the truth, at first, a was confused, that maybe this was some kind of a sick joke or maybe you were over blaming yourself, but when you started crying, I felt like the confession was genuine, and every piece of the puzzle started to fit, why there weren’t any signs, why you had a fight with Basil that night” He breathed out, he noticed he started to heat up and needed to calm down

“Then I saw red, the reason for my suffering right in front me” Sunny felt tears falling down his face, this hurted so much to hear “I wanted to hurt you so bad, and I almost did, but when I saw you up close, I didn’t see fear, your only eye had such a sad look to it, I ended staring at it, not knowing what to do” He let’s out a shaky sigh, he was trembling

“I-I wanted to hurt you, but I couldn’t, because when I saw your eye, I saw the same look, the same one I had when I looked in the mirror” Sunny turned to look at him, taken aback by what he said, he felt the tears forming again

“... After you left, I spent time thinking about what you said”

“I don’t know if it was right to feel this way, but a part of me was relieved, relieved that she was truly happy, that I didn’t miss anything, that when she smiled it was honest and sincere...” His eyes where reflecting the moonlight, looking closer, he looked broken

His hair was a mess, there were bags under his eyes, his clothes didn’t seem to fit him, it broke Sunny’s heart, he was almost looking just as bad as himself or Basil looked before

“Then I remembered how you looked that day, your eye seemed so sad, you have been holding that weight alone for such a long time, right?” he looked at him, he didn’t know how to answer, he felt like even a yes or no wouldn’t be right, he could only look away

“That time I saw you in the lake, I almost couldn’t believe my eyes, you looked so much like what I remembered, that i thought it was impossible for such a thing to even happen, when I confirmed that you were real, I was really glad, it felt comfortable being with you, life had changed so much since the last time we were together, you felt like a home that I could always come back to relive the old times” He felt his cheeks heat up a bit at the compliments

“Now that I had time to think about it properly, maybe that wasn’t a good thing” Sunny could feel Hero’s frustration building up “Y-you were the same age as Kel! And yet you didn’t look much older than when we were kids”

His voice was trembling, he was barely holding it together

“When I look at you now, all I can see is boy who’s had years of his life stolen away from him while he was locked away with only himself for company, carrying a weight that no twelve years old should’ve been carrying!”

Hero looked down, tears seemingly to much to hold back

“S-sunny, I’m so sorry!” he threw himself at the younger teen, hugging and holding him for dear life, ugly sobs coming out from his mouth

“Y-you were alone for such a long time, all by yourself carrying all this weight, while I was out there living my life”

“When I was at my worst, I still had Kel and b-bboth of my parents, but you had nobody! No friends, no sister and no father! I-I should’ve there for you”

“You’ve suffering for so long, even before her death right?! Maybe if I spent more time with you, made a e-effort to understand you, maybe I would’ve know how pressured you felt, m-maybe she would still be here too, and maybe you would’ve been able to smile”

“I’m such a j-jerk, I was angry at you and wanted to hurt you, but that would’ve been so unfair, you were twelve! How could I ever think that anything that you did was malicious in any way?! It was an accident! You’re so scared, so hurt and you hated yourself so much, that maybe if Kel hadn’t knocked at your door that day you would’ve...” His breath hitched at that, not wanting to finish what he would’ve said

“I shouldn’t have left f-ffor college, I should’ve been there for you! For everyone!”

“I’m Sorry” was everything he was saying now

Sunny held him there, being a crying mess himself, he gently stroke Hero’s head with one hand, the other being used to draw shapeless circles in his back

He felt a knot at his stomach, the way that Hero blamed himself for what happened, it didn’t feel right. He was trying to carry all the guilt and blame himself, just like he did when Mari died

He needed to say something, he needed to save his friend from making the same mistake he did

‘C’mon Sunny! When are you going to stop relying on others and start being there for them as well!’ these words in his mind didn’t sound as hurtful and taunting this time, he felt encouraged by them

He pleaded to no one in particular, to give him the courage he needed to save his friend, the same courage he felt that day he confessed

It felt like time slowed down, it was now or never

“No” He pushed the older one away

“W-wha-” “No, this isn’t right! You can’t take all this blame for yourself!” Hero looked dumbfounded, taken aback from his sudden outburst

“You aren’t our parent! You are our friend, so stop trying to be responsible for the mistakes everybody made! You were only kid too when it happened!” Sunny holded both of Hero’s hands to his heart, hoping he could convey how he felt “You can let yourself be vulnerable too...”

The older teen looked at their hands, seemingly lost, he didn’t know what to do, and Sunny’s words didn’t make sense to him, how could he ever be someone else if not the older brother of the group? How can he be vulnerable if everyone was suffering so much more?

He gathers all his will to ask him

“H-how?”

Sunny looked up at the moon, thinking of a way to best express what he wants to say

He remembered something, it might sound too cheeky and juvenile, but he hoped it could convey his feelings

“By borrowing it’s strength from the Sun, the Moon shines brightly...”

“Won’t you rely on me the same way?”

Hero looked up at hearing what he could only assume was verses from a song, and couldn’t believe what he saw

Sunny adorned a gentle and small smile, tears running down his face as the Moon’s pale light contoured his features

He looked otherworldly, almost angelic, He couldn’t help but blush at the sight, he was no longer that meek boy from his childhood, nor the broken teenager he rescued from a lake, this was a much stronger person, someone that wouldn’t give up on his friends no matter what

He smiled back, he wasn’t able to say anything, so he did what he thought was the best way to convey his gratitude to him

He removed one of his hands from the younger’s hold, then he moved his bangs away, and kissed his forehead

Sunny was stunned from that, the other then hugged him again, this time less needy “Thank you...” he relaxed in his embrace

They stayed that way for what felt like hours, before Hero suggested for them to go back to their friends so they don’t worry, the other one only nodded, apparently exhausting all his word fuel for forever. When he was getting up, he thought he heard some of the grass rustling, looking at it, there doesn’t seemed to be anything amiss, maybe his tired mind was playing tricks on him

They walked back to Gino’s, they were holding hands but didn’t looked like they noticed it yet

Sunny looked at the at their table, the pizza had arrived, but what really caught his attention was how red his friends looked

“H-hey Sunny, Hero!” “W-we’ve been waiting f-for you guys for awhile hehe” “The p-pizza is even a little cold! What have you guys been?” Kel, Basil and Aubrey said respectively, sounding out of breath somehow

Hero smiles awkwardly, saying that they will explain it later, they were here to celebrate Sunny’s arrival after all

They all then looked at Sunny hoping that he would spill the beans

With his usual cliff face, he only gave them a thumbs up

**Author's Note:**

> Wew, that took a while, I had started like three different ideas before I settled with this one, I wanted my first fic to be short and sweet, but they kept getting longer and longer, so I said "screw it", and decided to just go with what felt the best
> 
> The song that the verses at the end were taken from is called "1/6 out of the gravity", for anyone that wanted to know
> 
> Now explanations:  
> I think the name Sunset fits perfectly with this pairing, here's why  
> \- sunsets represent endings, the Sun leaves the sky, taking its light with it, just like Sunny and Hero will have to leave eventually after summer ends, coincidentally summer is the season that's most associated with Sun (Lol right?)  
> \- sunsets also right in the middle between the Sun and the Moon, which themselves represents opposites, Sunny feels like he has only been relying on others, without being dependable himself, Hero feels the opposite (somewhat), he was always the one that everybody could rely on, but ever since Mari he never had anyone he could rely on  
> \- another feature of sunsets are how colorful they are, just like the roses that represent Hero have no particular color, Sun part is self explanatory (because of this rainbow could work as well, but I decided on Sunset because every other Sunny ship starts with "sun-"  
> \- sunsets are romantic as well, and as we all know, Hero is a charmer
> 
> That's the gist of it, I hoped you liked it, any criticism is appreciated, if any better writer than me ends up seeing this and ends being inspired, please feel free to copy 99% of it, the main reason why I decided to write this was because I hoped to inspire other people to write more of this ship, what I wrote is just what I would've like to read, so if you feel you could improve my ideas, you have all the permission to do it!


End file.
